“Watch videos about Rocky” - Carlos Alcaraz’s funny take on utilizing time during rain delay as he completes revenge vs Tommy Paul at Cincinnati Open
Carlos Alcaraz, while waiting for the rain to stop during his Western & Southern Open match against Tommy Paul, watched clips from the Rocky movie franchise and listened to its soundtrack.
On Thursday, August 17, Alcaraz beat Paul 7-6(6), 6-7(0), 6-3 in a match that lasted 3 hours and 10 minutes, with two rain delays. The Spaniard avenged his recent loss against the American, who beat the World No. 1 for the second time in 12 months in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open.
In a post-game press conference, a reporter questioned Alcaraz about how he maintained his concentration in the event of a weather delay. The 20-year-old responded by saying he joked around with his teammates but when game time drew near, he would switch his focus back.
“Well, I was with my team, you know, making jokes. Once the time of the match is arriving, you know, I am focused, you know, on what I have to do," he said.
Carlos Alcaraz emphasized a conversation he had with his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero about beginning off aggressively while retaining focus and making the most of the warm-up time that the players are allotted.
“We were talking, Juan Carlos and me, that I have to start very well, very aggressive, you know, really, really focused in the warmup, in the three or four minutes that they gave us to warm up, to stay focused, stay, let's say, good," he added.
To lighten the mood, the Spaniard stated that he enjoyed watching Rocky movie clips as he is inspired by the fighting spirit represented in the film.
“Of course, help a lot to watch videos about Rocky that I did, so it help a lot as well (smiling). But you have to realize that it can happen, and, you know, try to be as good as you can," Alcaraz said.
Carlos Alcaraz on playing Tommy Paul in different weather conditions
Before the 20-year-old defeated Tommy Paul in a three-set thriller, the two had faced each other just a week before — in the quarterfinals of the National Bank Open in Montreal, where Paul won.
Carlos Alcaraz offered an insight into the game plan he devised against the American in various weather situations, as he attempted to play more aggressively, unlike in Toronto.
“Well, there is different conditions here than Toronto," Carlos Alcaraz said. "I think here the ball bounce a lot, bounce more than in Toronto. I think that the court is faster. But, you know, I tried different things. I tried to play more aggressive. Don't miss as much as I did in Toronto. You know, I tried to be more solid today”.
He concluded by saying that it was a tough competition that could have gone either way.
“As I said, the conditions, it wasn't the same. Today was, you know, so much windy, as well, and I consider myself that I played really well at windy conditions, but it was a really, really close match that it could win to his side, as well”.
Carlos Alcaraz's next opponent will be qualifier Max Purcell, who defeated Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 6-2. This will be the first meeting of the two players.